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Following up on an earlier item about the StadiumJourney.com review, the Reign confirmed that they have 2,980 season-ticket holders out of their 6,232 per-game average. That doesn’t include group plans, “mini plans,” and individual ticket buyers. So there’s the more technical answer.

On the hockey side, no trades or waiver transactions can be completed until 9 a.m. Sunday, per ECHL rules. It’s all quiet on the western front.

Matt Delahey has left for the University of Saskatchewan and has been suspended by the team. The 21-year-old rookie from Moose Jaw had two goals and three assists in 20 games in his first pro season, and played his final game Saturday against Bakersfield.

Delahey did not sign after he was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the fourth round of the 2008 draft. Last year he had four goals and 22 points in his final WHL season, split between the Regina Pats and the Chilliwack Bruins.

Delahey was one of a few absentees at today’s intrasquad scrimmage, along with defenseman Luke Beaverson and right wing Jeff Corey, who were given maintenance days. Defenseman Chad Starling (lower body) skated on his own for 30-45 minutes prior to the scrimmage. His target return date has been pushed back to Sunday.

Plenty more in tomorrow’s notebook, including why Shawn Collymore didn’t play Saturday and why Jon Francisco might not be standing behind the Reign’s bench much longer.

The Reign have four-star fans. OK, so it was on a five-star scale, but that was one of the more positive snap judgments included in the StadiumJourney.com review conducted at Saturday’s game at Citizens Business Bank Arena.

The Bank got 3.1 of a possible 5 stars overall. Nothing graded too high and nothing graded too low, except the “Extras,” which consisted entirely of The Crossbar in the opinion of the author (what, no love for the San Manuel Club?). I’m also not sure that most fans purchase single-game tickets as opposed to some kind of season-ticket package, as the author asserts. Last season I believe it was close to half-and-half. I’ll try to do some fact-checking tomorrow.

The website visits stadiums almost everywhere. As reviews go, this should be one of the more responsible you’ll read.

The Reign found a new way to lose Saturday – start strong, keep the game close for two periods, then let the game get out of reach in the third.

This new route to a familiar result didn’t sit well with the denizens at The Bank, many of whom headed straight for the exit after Stephane Goulet’s goal made it 5-1 at 7:38 of the third period. The Reign have lost five straight, 12 of 13 at home, and it says here that their upcoming eight-day layoff could not have come at a better time.

Whether it gives Chad Starling, Eric Doyle, or Jon Francisco enough time to get healthy; Karl Taylor enough time to bring in a quality veteran; or this team enough time to simply hone its chemistry – a rare sight in recent weeks – the Reign need some time between games.Continue reading →

The line of ex-NHLer Kyle Calder, and ex-AHLers Bobby Robins and Joel Broda, combined for two goals and five assists on a night that saw the start time pushed back nearly half an hour because the Condors’ team bus was late to The Bank.

Kyle Kraemer scored the Reign’s only goal at 5:14 of the second period.

Newcomer Alan Dorich saw regular ice time early on a pairing with Luke Beaverson and shot a puck off the end boards that led directly to Kraemer’s goal. Not a bad debut.

But the Reign as a team didn’t get shots to the net with consistency until the third period, when they outshot the Condors 13-10. Prior to that they had only eight shots on net – including two in the second period – to Bakersfield’s 17.

Kellen Briggs stopped 23 shots but let in a pair of uncharacteristically easy goals, while former NHL goalie Josh Tordjman stopped 20 on the other end for Bakersfield.

The eight-place Reign fell six points behind the seventh-place Condors in the Western Conference standings. Bakersfield has handed the Reign two straight losses by the same score; the teams play again tomorrow night at 7 p.m.

The Reign went 0-for-5 on the power play, including 0-for-3 in the third period, to extend their stretch of futility with the man advantage to 2-for-40 in their last seven games.

“We’re working hard, we just have to get the puck in the net,” Kraemer said. “I’m confident, and so are the guys in the locker room, that we can get out of this funk.”

More from Kraemer and coach Karl Taylor in tomorrow’s editions of the Sun and Daily Bulletin.

Tonight’s game between the Bakersfield Condors and Ontario Reign won’t begin at 7 p.m. as planned.

The Condors’ team bus has been delayed – likely due to inclement weather heading south from Bakersfield through the Tejon Pass, though that hasn’t been confirmed. The team will have one hour from the time it arrives at Citizens Business Bank Arena to warm up before the puck drops.

As of 6:20 p.m., the Condors haven’t arrived; the initial estimate was that the team would arrive close to 6:30 and the game would begin close to 7:30.

6:40 p.m. update: The team bus arrived about 10 minutes ago, and 7:30 is still the estimated start time. A source close to the bus tells us the Condors left Bakersfield approximately 2 p.m. and encountered thick traffic the entire route south. Although there was a steady rain, it wasn’t snowing through the Grapevine.

“That’s the way it is in pro hockey,” Dorich said. “I’m just happy to be here in Ontario
now. I don’t think you ever get used to it. You have to find your niche
somewhere, hopefully it’s here. It’s been interesting the whole way
through here in this process, but you learn with each step you go.”

Even though Dorich has been living out of a suitcase since the season began, he said finding playing time wasn’t a problem in Wheeling (where he played two games), Kalamazoo (three) or Gwinnett (one). He would have played two games in Gwinnett if the Gladiators’ game Tuesday had not been canceled when a puck got caught in the Zamboni prior to the game.

Alan Dorich became the third defenseman acquired at midseason by the Reign on Thursday.

The rookie comes to Ontario from the Gwinnett Gladiators – likely in exchange for “future considerations,” though that’s not confirmed – and the Reign will become his fourth ECHL team in a season that is barely two months old.

The 24-year-old has already played two games for the Wheeling Nailers, three for the Kalamazoo Wings and one for the Gladiators, collecting one assist in Wheeling along the way. The Reign will be his fifth team overall this season; Dorich was cut in training camp by the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves.

Dorich had no goals, 17 assists and 200 penalty minutes from 2006-10 at Northern Michigan University, suggesting he is a defense-minded blueliner. Prior to college, Dorich played three seasons for the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers, where he was teammates with current Kings Davis Drewiske and Trevor Lewis, and New York Islanders forward Kyle Okposo. The Buccaneers won the Clark Cup in 2006.

No word yet on when Dorich will arrive, or if he will be able to play tomorrow against the Bakersfield Condors. Eric Doyle (upper body) is on injured reserve and didn’t take part in practice. Neither did defenseman Chad Starling (lower body), who worked out off the ice and is eligible to be activated off IR tomorrow. Reign coach Karl Taylor said Starling is questionable.

Before acquiring Dorich, Taylor said he would be comfortable playing with five defenseman if needed, which was the case in Saturday’s 4-1 loss in Bakersfield.

“We played a pretty good game Saturday,” Taylor said. “Obviously we lost and we’re disappointed with the result. We’ve got to climb out of our hole. We played a real competitive game. We had four or five fights in the game. We stood up for ourselves, we had some good chances.

“That’s been the focus this week. We’ve done a lot of power-play work, a lot of scoring drills. We need to create more offense and score more. That’s what we’re trying to fix. We feel if we score more, we can probably win four or five more games than we have.”

An original member of the inaugural Reign squad, Kraus is no stranger to British Columbia. He spent four years playing for the nearby Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League and has often referred to the area as his “second home.” That made Kraus’ choice a bit easier; he said he also had an offer from the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings.

“I love Vancouver,” he said. “I still have plenty of family and friends up there.”

Kraus, who was placed on waivers Friday, had no goals and six assists in 16 games this season for the Reign. He’ll get two quick chances to face his former team on Dec. 28 and 29 in Victoria, but the two teams don’t meet again the rest of the season.

The Salmon Kings (10-12-1-2) visit the Idaho Steelheads on Wednesday and Friday.